Chakra 6: The Third Eye Chakra (Ajna)
The Third Eye Chakra is our perspective of the creative thinker and holds all of our world views. The interesting thing about the upper chakras, including the throat, eye and crown chakras, is that these chakras function as Higher Consciousnesses of the the lower three chakras (root, sacral, solar plexus). The third eye chakra, is the higher expression of the Solar Plexus Chakra, which, as we have learnt in previous blog posts, governs our sense of self and as a result, our self-oriented thinking. The eye chakra, turns this self-oriented thinking of the solar plexus chakra and turn it into higher conceptual thinking. This conceptual thinking holds our creative thinking, inspirational thinking, our views of life and our ability to manifest this into our reality. The third eye governs our ability to "perceive" higher truths and "command" our higher will.
Together we will explore:
A few facts about the Third Eye Chakra
Common imbalances in the Third Eye Chakra
Tips on how to bring more balance to this energy centre
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Facts about the Third Eye Chakra
The two petaled lotus within the emblem of the third eye chakra represents the importance of having a balance between our lunar and solar energies. As previously discussed, the chakra system has three energy channels. The ida (lunar/feminine), the pingala (solar/masculine) and the sushumna (middle/balanced path). In order for us to fully express our third eye chakra, we must understand the balancing act between these two polar energies within our life (ida vs pingala). Only then, can we begin to see clearly and channel energy through the centre sushumna channel and gain high sight and wisdom!
This chakra is tied to the spiritual gift of clairvoyance (clear seeing). The psychic organ of clairvoyance and the third eye- often associated with the pineal gland. Interestingly, within the pineal gland, we can observe small piezoelectric microcrystals that actually emit a certain light frequency! This could possibly explain why we dream in colour. The pineal gland is also essential for melatonin production which affects our brain waves during deep meditation, sleep and mystical experiences.
Our "right to see" clearly is held within this chakra. Exploring the truth about oneself & the world will be attached to this inner belief.
Common imbalance of the Throat Chakra:
Headaches or Migraines
Regular or reoccurring nightmares
Lack of creative thinking or ideas
Lack of clarity or direction in life
Being critical or dismissive about intuitive aspects of intelligence
Lack of concentration
Spending too much time doing self reflective work but seeing no results or not experiencing any life changes (getting caught in the same cycles)
Tyrannical rule
Being overly analytical but missing the main point
Lack of ability to visualize
Lack of assertiveness
Not seeing the ramifications of certain actions
Being undisciplined or lacking will to succeed
Inability to set goals
Lack of good quality sleep or sleep related issues
Eye problems
Could you have an unbalanced Third Eye Chakra?
Answer the following questions to help you evaluate the health of your Third Eye Chakra. These questions can help you to determine potential imbalances in your Ajna chakra which we can address next.
Do you experience vivid dreams at night?
Can you easily recall your dreams from the night past upon waking up?
Do you have a good sense of imagination?
Are you capable of envisioning yourself in the future and setting future goals?
Tips on bringing balance to the Third Eye Chakra
Colour: Indigo which is a deep blue/violet colour represents our third eye chakra. Interestingly, indigo is the colour for wisdom and deeper knowing. Seems fitting doesn't it? Emercing yourself in the indigo hues or visualizing this colour within the imagination of your third eye, you can begin to open this chakra. A great tool to sharpen your third eye is to observe a design and then recreate it in your mind. I would suggest practicing this exercise with your FREE Third Eye Chakra Cellphone Wallpaper. I designed these myself to help inspire deeper awareness of each chakra in your everyday life.
Crystals: The crystals most often associated with the third eye chakra are:
Amethyst (pst: I love keeping an amethyst on my bedside table to enhance dream time)
Lapis Lazuli
Labradorite
Azurite
Black Obsidian
Clear Quartz
Moonstone
Black Tourmaline
Food: You might have guessed it, but food in the blue/purple colour can actually help to stimulate the third eye chakra! Consider adding foods like: red onions, red cabbage, blueberries, purple grapes, blackberries, raisins and eggplant to your diet. You'll also want to consider supporting your third eye organ, the pineal gland when trying to bring balance to this chakra. It has been shown that, sodium fluoride, which is found in most of our cities drinking water and toothpaste! It is now evident that the amount of trace fluoride in our water is drastically impeeding the normal neurological development in children and could be linked to other neurological issues in adults. This means that as fluoride increases, the IQ of children decreases! The best and only way of avoiding fluoride in tap water is to use special water filtration systems. My favourite is the Berkey Water System. When looking for a filtration system you want to make sure that it falls under one of these categories: reverse osmosis system, distillation system or ion exchange system , unfortunetly Brita doesn't get the job done.
Check out my top recommended brands for water filtration systems with the link HERE.
Now, back to food. Cocoa, coffee, organic red wines, grape juice and herbal teas, can also help to stimulate the third eye chakra. Remember to always use the rule of moderation with these foods and consume them seldomly. t's best to use the unsweetened raw cacao products for this as well- think of 100%-80% raw cacao products.
Herbs: Herbal teas to help nourish the third eye include:
Dill
Thyme
Rosemary
Mint
Mugwort
Sound: Singing bowls played in the note "A" can help to stimulate the same resonance of the third eye chakra. Try this singing bowl sound bath HERE and see what happens.
Singing: HAM or HAA-AAAM- is the sound of the third eye chakra. This sound signifies the coming together of "cosmic consciousness" and "life force energy".
Essential Oils: My favourite essential oils to nourish the third eye are:
Frankincense
Lavender
Neroli
Juniper
Try placing a drop of oil over your third eye between the eye brows before bed (lavender is good for this) and see if your dreams become more vivid.
Mindfulness: Balancing the third eye chakra is interesting because of its inherent duality between the left and right brain thinking. Because the third eye is about balancing and merging the ida (feminine/lunar) and pingala (masculine/solar) energy channels we must learn to recognize when we are experiencing imbalances. The best tool to help recognize these imbalances is with a consistent mindfulness meditation practice. This is a meditation where you learn to observe the thoughts, emotions and sensations in the body. This meditation technique helps to reduce stress, improve memory, lift your mood while also nourishing the more spiritual and psychic levels of the chakra. I have a whole playlist of guided audio mindfulness meditations to help you start your meditation journey. This technique is one that I learn at a 10-Day Silent Vipasanna Mediation Retreat in 2014. Learn more about my experience HERE.
As we begin to reach balance within these two channels, we enter a state known as authentic consciousness. This is usually an indication that a persons higher chakra energy centres are running smoothly and cohesively. For example, being aware of your own conflicting aspects and being able to integrate these different parts of your psyche into the conherent whole is an indication that the heart, throat and third eye chakras are working together. Similarly, being able to easily detach from and not act upon negative emotions such as fear or having a less neurotic behaviour is also a good indication that these three chakras are balanced. Being able to discern and discriminate correctly while not condemning is a sign of functioning heart and third eye chakra. You see how dual and yet precise these energies can be with regards to the third eye chakra? The third eye chakra involves a multi layered way of thinking and seeing the world around you. Nothing is ever black and white, yet you can still clearly see the difference between the two and act accordingly with love.
Yoga: The best yoga poses to help open and activate the third eye chakra energies are:
Child's pose
Hero pose
Humble warrior
Dolphin pose
Any poses that require a lot of inner focus can help draw these third eye energies into balance. In my Yoga On DEMAND membership, we explore yoga poses, meditations and thoughts that help to bring balance to the third eye as well as the other chakras in the body. Bellow are a few examples of such classes.
If you'd like to explore your Third Eye Chakra through yoga, consider joining Yoga On DEMAND HERE.
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